


"Je t'aime" means "I love you" in French

by Cherry_Milk



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angry Gavin Reed, Angst, Bottom Gavin Reed, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Gavin Reed - Freeform, Gavin Reed is Bad at Feelings, Gavin is 17, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Nines is 19, Paris (City), Smut, Top Upgraded Connor | RK900, Upgraded Connor | RK900 - Freeform, beta we don't die like men, reed900, they're on holiday
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-19 05:47:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20652188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherry_Milk/pseuds/Cherry_Milk
Summary: Summer break just started and there are endless possibilities. Gavin could drown his feelings in alcohol or numb his pain with cigarettes or smoke weed until he's so high, he doesn't feel down anymore. Or go on a trip to Paris with his mother, her friends and a boy he hates. He makes his face go red, his heart beat faster and his head spin... with anger of course!Or: Gavin and Nines are teenagers who go on a trip to Paris together.Let's see what happens![Human AU][I will put a warning before smut, but most of the story doesn't contain any so if you're uncomfortable with it, you can just skip that part, but read the fic anyway]





	"Je t'aime" means "I love you" in French

It's Saturday. But not any Saturday, no. It's the 27th of June, the first day of summer break. 

Finally, Gavin reaches the rooftop of their apartment building, lighting a cigarette while sitting down on a large wooden box near the edge of the roof.

He loves this place, if he really thinks about it, it might even be his favorite spot. Mainly because he can look down over Detroit and everything seems so small, of course, all the people and all their problems and all _ his _problems, and secondly, he is alone, completely alone. No one ever comes up here and when someone actually does they’re gone just as quickly after seeing him. 

Everyone knows that you shouldn't mess with Gavin, it's his spot and his spot only. He takes a drag from his cigarette as he watches a woman rush past some men, clearly in a hurry. After a while of looking down, he looks up at the sky, where only a few small clouds are in sight. 

Today's going to be a sunny and warm day Gavin thinks and looks at his phone's weather forecast for today, which only confirms what he already thought : A balmy summer night with 0% chance of rain.

And what's the best thing to do on such a perfect summer night?

_______________________________________

  


Gavin checks the time, reading 09:07 pm as he stands in a moderately large group of people talking and drinking while the sun is still going down slowly, starting to form a colorful sunset. 

Pushing his way through the crowd, Gavin tries to reach Pedro, who's organizing all the bets for today's car race. "Gavin my friend! I got a tip for you, man! You gotta bet on number five, he's the fastest, won last Saturday's race. Whatcha say?" Pedro says as he greets him with a grin, his cap and slightly ragged clothes making him give off a shady vibe, but Gavin doesn't mind that, as long as he can get a little fun out of betting what money he has. 

“Last few times your tips cost me a lot of money, remember? Gonna bet on number three instead." 

"This time's different, man! I promise, one hundred percent guarantee, trust me." Gavin knows there's a high chance that he's talking complete bullshit and that he'll lose all his money yet again, but who cares anyway?

"I'll bet twenty five dollars on number five if it gets you off my ass, okay?" he says handing him the money in coins. "Twenty five dollars? Come on, that's nothin’! Make it at least 50, you'll get triple the money back, special deal, just for you, my friend!" 

"Listen, I really don't have that much money, you know?" 

"Fives won so many races at this point, he's absolutely the best one, that ever went here, he'll win, I promise, man." 

"Fine, twenty five. Don't let me down." 

Pedro doesn't look too pleased but Gavin's pretty sure that he makes a lot of money out of that betting shit anyway, so the small loss isn’t sure to change his income.

Dude already makes bank as it is.

"I'm broke man, that's all I got, you better take it before I change my mind" 

"You're not gonna regret this man" he shouts with a toothy grin as he leaves to try and scam some other guy into betting on number five.

Music continues to blare from the small speakers some drunk guys brought here, the men dancing clumsily and looking tipsy as ever in front of him, but the field and it's broad long road are so far away from inner Detroit that they aren't in danger of getting caught, atleast, he hopes not. Sometimes he wonders how the races go unnoticed, because sure, they're out of town and no one really comes here, but they're here nearly _ every _weekend in the summertime for three fucking years. 

Maybe the cops just don't care as long as no one gets hurt?

Or at least… Not _ officially _hurt. 

The streetlights are shining brightly, illuminating the drunk crowd of people, causing Gavin to think back to when the races had just started and the light were dull, how they’d blink incessantly because of all the dust and spider webs and the areas isolation. It was still odd to see the road so intact with how shitty and run down the surrounding area was. 

Still, most of the light comes from the boxes, making the atmosphere a bit disco-like and though there is no bar, there a some dozens of beer crates spread all over the field. Gavin stands near the road where the first race is already being prepared, told to start at about half past nine and while he still enjoys the races, the betting and the beer meant nothing, the reason why he went to the races in the first place was because he hoped to get laid, though to those who knew him this was no surprise.

His mother often works a night shift so she doesn't even notice if he doesn't sleep at home. Which is why he comes here to find some - at best - decent looking guy, who can take him to his apartment and fuck him ‘till he can’t think about all this shit anymore, where he can spend the night and sleep in a warm place and maybe have breakfast if the guy's generous enough for that, which wasn’t common though. 

Most times they aren't even decent people, one time some dude even kicked him out after they were done fucking, leaving Gavin to walk home at two in the morning in the rain, sore and half hard as he sneaked back into his bedroom, because the asshole didn't even care enough to get him off. He should have guessed that though, because the guy was a bit weird from the beginning, but most people have already left the place that night. Gavin sure as hell wasn’t going to be sleeping at home that day, not after the fight he had with his mother. In the end he still had to after being kicked out, but he managed to get out of their flat, before his mother woke up. 

Gavin is pulled back into reality as a blonde man covered in tattoos began counting down to signify the start of the race.

The first race was number five against twenty seven. There were always two cars drawn by lot that have to race against each other. Winner makes it into the next round, until there are only two left and the winner of the final round is the winner of the night. You're lucky if you bet on him, because then you'll get double the money back, but winning is not very likely since there are eight drivers so betting doesn't pay off most of the time, anyway. Gavin still does it, though. It's fun and exciting even though he doesn't have much money— actually that might be the reason why he doesn't have much money, but who cares? Gavin doesn't for sure, he thinks so at least. 

He hears the motors roar and the tires squeal and focuses on the street again, leaving his thoughts behind. 

Number five already has a good start, but Gavin could tell that he's also taking too much risk and is quite inexperienced. He starts to worry as he notices the speed, If he doesn't reduce it-

As he realizes he's going too fast, he hits the brakes and slides out of the turn. 

Disqualified. 

Great. Time to have a little talk with Pedro, Gavin thinks, turning around angrily.

Boom

He bumps hard against someone, someone tall he realizes as he holds his still hurting head. Who the fuck is standing in his way?

“Hey, mind stepping out of the way, jackass?!" Gavin hisses at the taller man in front of him, feeling the anger overcome him.He raises his head to see who dares to block his path and be such a fucking asshole. He's never seen that fucking face anywhere, which is weird, because Gavin usually knows everyone at the races at least by sight. 

The taller man just stares at him with his blue eyes and a blank expression.

"Why don't you fucking move!"

Gavin’s face starts to heat up with anger and hate for this arrogant asshole still standing in _ his _way. If he stands there any longer Gavin is going to punch him in the gut. 

"Strange of you to expect that I should be apologizing or even moving. You ran into me if I remember correctly." 

That's it, this is the final straw, Gavin can't take this bullshit anymore and he hauls off, ready to punch that douchebag in the face with as much strength as possible. What happened next made Gavin hate that tall bastard even more. He caught his arm mid flight and just looks at him. "We don't want to start a fight, do we?" 

Gavin wants to. He wants to start a fight, wants to beat him up so bad- "What? Cat got your tongue?" 

“You fucking-" Gavin tries to hit the taller man again, but he catches him just like last time. As Gavin tries to free his arm with all his strength, the dumb bastard spins him around with ease, holding his hands behind his back in a tight grip. "Let me fucking go!" Gavin hisses through gritted teeth. "Apologize." 

“For what? You standing in my way?" 

“For running into me, insulting me and then trying to punch me. Twice." He holds him tighter, almost painfully. "Like a child." Gavin is furious and being unable to move only makes him angrier and angrier. "Listen here, you bastard, I'm not a fucking child and you will let me go now or I'll fucking kill you right here, right now!”

"Go on, try it." He answers calmly. Gavin hates that the tall man isn't at all afraid of him and can manhandle him so easily.

Right as he’s about to answer him, his phone rings. Only one person ever calls him and because it's a Saturday night, it has to be something important. 

"Let go, I need to answer that" 

"Apologize." 

"Like hell I'm going to-"

He doesn't ease his grip at all and the longer his phone rings, the more anxious Gavin gets. 

"Alright, fuck, sorry" he mutters, but it seems to be enough for the other man and he frees his hands in a instant with only the slightly dull pain reminding him, where he held him. 

He does what any mature and rational almost adult would do to get out of a weird situation like that; He flips him off, turns around and walks a few feet away from where everyone is standing to answer the phone.

"Hey Mom"

"Gavin, I know you wanted to go out tonight, but can you please come home, I have important news for you, that I want to tell you in person!"

His mother sounds more excited than nervous or even anxious which makes Gavin calm down immediately. 

"I'll come home as soon as possible, might take some time, I'm outside of the city." 

If only he had a car, or better yet, a motorcycle, then he could be at home in ten minutes, possibly less if he sped down the back roads, but sadly, he can't afford it and even if he had one, he wouldn't have enough money for all the gasoline and upkeep. He can barely afford his cigarettes, which is probably the only reason why he's not addicted to that shit.

"Thank you Gavin."

"Yeah, yeah. See you in a bit.”

The race isn't interesting anymore anyway after number five got disqualified, so he starts walking home, taking the same route he used to get there. 

His mother sounded really happy. It’s rare, and Gavin likes seeing her happy, because she truly deserves it. Even if she tries really hard to hide it from Gavin when she's down, he notices anyway. It was so much worse when he was younger, when he stayed up past bedtime and heard his mother cry in the kitchen. 

It was his father's fault, Gavin knew that for sure and he hates him for it. Gavin is so happy that he looks a lot like his mother and nothing like his father and that he has his mother's last name, so that he isn't reminded of his father constantly. 

Even some of his character traits are similar to his mom's. They both have a high moral sense and they both stand up for themselves when it's needed. And while Gavin's life is a mess, she supports him unconditionally, even though she is rarely at home, because she has to work so much. 

Gavin knows the way from his home to the races and back by heart, absently wandering the streets, while his head is spinning from all these thoughts. Normally Gavin would stop by a gas station and try to bribe some shady cashier into selling him cheap spirits or wine and drown himself in alcohol, until he stops thinking about this fucking bullshit and his asshole of a father. 

He can't today though, because his mother wants him home. She sounded really happy and Gavin can't take that happiness away from her by showing up drunk, he doesn't have the heart to do that. Luckily Gavin is standing in front of the apartment complex by now, fumbling his key out of the pocket of his dark washed blue jeans. 

Maybe his mother got a promotion with less night shifts or she adopted a kitten or something like that. The staircase is completely empty, which makes the whole building look a bit abandoned.

Gavin goes up to the 3rd floor, looking at nothing but the grey triste walls and the steely looking stairs. Number 364. The golden color is coming off at the edges of the numbers. When he opens the door he is immediately greeted by a cat, licking her bronze colored fur that contrasts nice to the dark markings, but this is not a new kitten, it's just Cleo. She was waiting for him to get home apparently, because as soon as he enters the apartment she purrs and tangles herself between his legs.

She probably hopes she'll get Gavin to pet her or at least give her some treats. 

"I'm home! " he yells, maybe a little too loud for the small apartment. "Sit down at the dining table, I'll be ready in a minute!” Miriam calls back from her bedroom. Gavin sits down at the wooden table, looking at the colorful candles in the middle. His mother loves buying candles, but she never lights them, they're more a decoration kind of thing, something he’s never really understood but slowly began to appreciate. 

Miriam steps out of the bedroom with her hair put up in a towel and her pajamas on. She sits down at the opposite side of the table, facing Gavin with a happy grin.

"So, what did you want to tell me?"

"First of all, thank you for coming home so quickly, Gavin! I know you're out on Saturday nights, but something really great happened and I wanted to tell you as soon as possible-" 

"Mom, just tell me. " Gavin cuts her off, though he can't help smiling, too. 

"Fine, okay, so today at work, a new nurse and a new doctor came to our hospital. They just moved to Detroit and it was my job to show the nurse around and when we got introduced we immediately recognized each other." His mother's eyes lit up even more while telling her story. "It was Katy Williams, my best friend from high school! She moved away from Detroit and we couldn't keep contact, but now she and her husband, who is the new doctor, moved here again." 

"That's great Mom, but why did you call me home to tell me that, couldn't it wait until tomorrow?" he asks confused

“Gavin, just let me finish what I want to say." 

“Alright, alright, go on."

"Okay, so we went to Angelo's after work and we talked a lot about what that happened after she moved away and turns out we can still talk for hours like we did back then. And so Katy told me about their plans to go to Paris next week with a friend and his seven year old son, but sadly he got chickenpox just yesterday so they won't be able to travel. And then Katy had a great idea! She asked if we want to come instead!” 

She smiles brightly as she goes on. “They already booked the flight and hotel and it would be great to catch up on everything that’s happened. She's just as spontaneous as she was in high school, it's unbelievable!" Miriam laughs. “And I said that I'm not sure if we have enough money to pay for a trip to Europe, because that's very expensive, you know. But she said that they would pay for us of course, since her husband earns more than enough money anyway. At first I said it would be impolite to accept such a generous offer, but then she told me it's okay and if anything it’d be more impolite to refuse, she assured me it was a fair return because of all the times I let her sleep at my house when her parents were on business trips. 

Still smiling she continuous , “I told her that’s what friends do, but she said that she would be really happy if we would come, so I accepted. Gavin, we're going to Europe on Tuesday!" 

That's a lot of information at once.

"That's great, mom." Gavin answers because it truly is. He never was in Europe or even on a plane. The last few years they didn't even go on holiday at all. "I'm not done yet." His mother interrupts his thoughts once more. "We will be there for two weeks and aside from Katy and me, we all don't know each other. That's why we’ll be going to lunch tomorrow at their house at ten so please make a good first impression, Gavin!"

"I'll try my best, Mom" 

"Promise me!" 

"Fine, I promise!” Gavin sighs. 

"Oh and I nearly forgot to mention this. Their son will be coming with us, too." 

Gavin knew there would be a catch. Great. Now he's expected to get along with some rich, spoiled kid. But it's worth it, if he can go to Paris for two weeks in return. "What do you say, Gavin? Isn't that amazing?" It is, Gavin thinks so that's what he answers, before saying good night and going to his room. 

It’s a lot to think about. Gavin turns the little disco ball lamp on his desk on and lies down on his bed, slipping under his grey fluffy blanket. He stares up to the wooden ceiling, his eyes following the colorful spots of light dancing across it. After a few seconds he feels something warm and heavy on his belly; as he looks down he sees Cleo lying there. She must have slipped in before he closed the door. He strokes her soft fur, making her purr contentedly. Gavin scrolls through his social media, looking at memes mostly. Time goes by and it's only half past eleven, but Gavin already feels exhausted as his body sinks further into the mattress and as he closes his eyes he falls asleep instantly.

_______________________________________

  


"Gavin, wake up, it's already 9:30!" he hears his mother yell from the living room. He opens his eyes slowly and confused as to why his mother would wake him up on a Sunday, but suddenly he remembers the trip to Paris and the lunch with his mother's friend's house. He jumps out of bed and runs straight to the kitchen. As he puts raspberry jam on his first slice of toast, Miriam walks in. "You're not eating more than one or else you won't be hungry for lunch." Gavin grunts annoyed but puts the second slice back and makes some black coffee instead. After he finishes breakfast, he takes a shower and brushes his teeth. Before he can even think about what clothes to choose his mother forbids him to wear sweatpants reminding him to make a good first impression. He chooses some black skinny jeans and an olive green shirt, that he even tucks in.

"What do you say Cleo? Pretty formal, eh?" he chuckles looking down at his cat, that eyes him suspiciously. "Meow."

"Gavin, are you ready?" 

"Yeah, be there in a sec" Gavin answers as he leaves his bedroom. His mother wears a blue dress and her short hair is in a high ponytail. She even put on a little bit of makeup, which is very rare. This means a lot to her, Gavin thinks while slipping into his black sneakers. His mother locks the front door behind them and they go down the stairs. "I'm so excited, Gavin, please be polite! I really don't want to mess this up!" His mother states once again as they step out of the door of the apartment complex. Gavin sits down on the passenger seat and puts on his headphones. He looks out of the window while he drowns himself in his music.

  


**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is my first fic, so I was kinda nervous about posting it, but have fun reading!
> 
> I'm open to constructive criticism and if you notice any mistakes or have ideas for the story just comment or message me on tumblr: whisperashine  
You can also follow me and/or message me just to say hi, I love making new friends!
> 
> I'm German and this is my first time writing something so long in English.  
Luckily I had an amazing beta reader, who corrected my mistakes.
> 
> Beta Reader: artistic-alex (tumblr)  
Artistic_Alex (ao3)


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